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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPACKET Transportation Advisory Board 2018-12-19 A EP TOWN OF ESTES PA I Transportation Advisory Board Agenda December 19,2018 Current Members: Belle Morris(03/31/20) 12:00 PM—2:00 PM Stan Black(03/31/20) Gordon Slack(03/31/21) Room 202&203 Ron Wilcocks (03/31/21) Tom Street(03/31/19) Estes Park Town Hall Ann Finley (03/31/20) Linda Hanick (03/31/19) 170 MacGregor Ave Amy Hamrick(03/31/19) Janice Crow(3/31/21) Public Comment Approval of November Meeting Minutes Chair Belle Morris Trail Master Plan Chair Belle Morris Update&Prioritize Project Updates Public Works Director Greg Muhonen Project Updates Engineering Manager David Hook Project Updates Parking& Transit Manager Vanessa Solesbee Other Business Adjourn The mission of the Town of Estes Park Transportation Advisory Board is to advise the Board of Trustees and the Public Works staff on Local and Regional Comprehensive Transportation Planning Policies; Maintenance, Operation and Expansion Programs; and Transportation Capital Projects. Carlie Bangs, Town Board Trustee Liaison Greg Muhonen, Estes Park Public Works Staff Liaison RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, November 21, 2018 Minutes of a regular meeting of the Transportation Advisory Board of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held in the Room 203 of Town Hall on the 21st day of November, 2018. Present: Gordon Slack Tom Street Belle Morris Stan Black Ron Wilcocks Linda Hanick Amy Hamrick (via FaceTime) Also Present: Trustee Carlie Bangs, Town Board Liaison Greg Muhonen, Public Works Director Vanessa Solesbee, Parking & Transit Manager Megan Van Hoozer, Public Works Administrative Assistant Absent: Ann Finley Janice Crow Chair Morris called the meeting to order at 12:02 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENT: Estes Park resident John Long was in attendance. Long and his wife recently relocated to Estes Park. He retired at the end of June this year as the Executive Director of Bike Public, a Houston, Texas comprehensive bicycle plan. He's also done extensive work with the City of Houston's Complete Streets Coalition. Houston adopted the Complete Streets program and Long is very pleased to see that Estes Park working toward something similar. He feels the principles are critical for community development. This will help ensure mobility for all transportation modes. Director Muhonen asked Long if he'd encountered a wave of scooters and, if so, to please provide input. Long stated he doesn't have enough information about scooters and is unfamiliar with that process. Houston is currently dealing more with dockless bike systems and is holding off on scooters but continues looking at the parameters and restrictions on how they operate. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: A motion was made and seconded (Slack/Wilcocks)to approve both the October 17, 2018 regular meeting minutes as well as the October 23, 2018 special meeting minutes and all were in favor. WAYFINDING UPDATE: Chair Morris informed the TAB that wayfinding signage proposals will be brought to the Town Board in an upcoming meeting. Manager Hook asked the TAB their thoughts on providing a letter of support with recommendations. Morris suggested drafting a memo mentioning the importance of connectivity. Member Slack confirmed with Manager Hood that the 2019 budget for wayfinding is $50K. The Downtown Estes Loop (DEL) will be implementing consistent signage. The goal is for high quality, low maintenance signage. Member Slack asked Trustee Liaison Bangs if a letter is needed for the wayfinding. Bangs stated that since the funds have already been approved through the budget process a letter isn't necessary. Muhonen stated that if the TAB decides to provide a letter it would be due in one week and therefore may not be the best use of members' time. Transportation Advisory Board — November 21, 2018 — Page 2 COMPLETE STREET POLICY REVIEW: Chair Morris introduced the full Complete Streets packet of information to the TAB. Director Muhonen notified the TAB that he made the decision to remove this topic from next week's agenda pending a full set of completed documentation on the policy being introduced. This topic has been moved to the January 22, 2018 Town Board Study Session agenda. The TAB began their review of the content of provided overview and background of policy creation. Muhonen confirmed this is to be added with the presentation of the policy being proposed. He asked that a Transportation Advisory Board Recommendation be provided on the proposed Complete Streets Policy. Muhonen had suggested changes to the policy document including taking out some of the specifically named projects. Co-Chair Street extrapolated the Complete Streets project information from the adopted Downtown Plan (DP). Street felt that there was no existing mechanism to implement the DP and thought this would be a good first step. It was determined that it would be best to keep this policy at a higher level guiding document. Muhonen suggested the potential of adding to this document a request that the Town expand the Capital Improvement Program to include project identified in the DP. Street to add this verbiage. The DP also shows that significant public outreach was performed as part of the DP creation process, of which Complete Streets was included. Co-Chair Street will make edits as discussed and provide to Director Muhonen who will have Town Attorney White review the content. A motion was made and seconded (Slack/Black) to have Street represent the TAB in the creation of this document alongside Director Muhonen and Town Attorney White and all were in favor. Once all changes are incorporated the document will be presented to the TAB for final approval. Member Hanick stated that while she was in Golden, CO on fairly major street, the traffic speeds were quite high until they reached the roundabout where all slowed down. This was an example of how roundabouts can help our growing community. Director Muhonen will need all edits from Street and the completed slideshow from Chair Morris no later than December 31, 2018. Street and Morris agreed to have all information to Muhonen by that date. SHUTTLE & PARKING UPDATES: Transit Program Manager Brian Wells provided updates of changes to existing shuttle routes via a hand-out based on the reduction of service outside town limits. Wells has received comments which have been mainly negative. The Trail-Gazette interviewed Wells and Parking & Transit Manager Vanessa Solesbee to highlight the benefits of the service changes. The interview should be reflected in the Friday, November 23 edition. Manager Wells reported that while waiting for CDOT to approve the order for the new electric trolley, the manufacturer has reached out due to the time lost. The manufacturer has expressed their displeasure in the delay. Wells stated he's also been working on a charging system in the works to operate with the new electric trolley. He's currently working on the logistics of where the station will be located. Manager Solesbee is looking into a grant for a fast-charging station. The project must be done by June 1, 2019. Solesbee proceeded to walk through highlights of the parking utilization information being presented at the November 27, 2018 Town Board Study Session (charts/graphs/maps). She wants to ensuring data requested has been captured related to Phase 1 of the Downtown Parking Management Plan (DPMP), as well as providing next steps in 2019. Solesbee explained the industry-accepted 85% occupancy measurement standards. Transportation Advisory Board — November 21, 2018 — Page 3 Member Wilcocks feels the parking structure data should be included as part of the core downtown statistics. Without the data being reflected this way, it may be misleading to the public. Wilcocks also expressed the need to define utilization. Are we representing that these numbers are over a period of time, a snapshot, etc.? Lower utilization for a certain percentage of the time is healthy. It is critical to paint the whole picture. The data may say one thing but experience may say something else. Potentially recondition behavior to access available spaces. All numbers and calculations need analyzed for accuracy due to some questions received from the TAB. Wilcocks also stated the importance of providing year-round utilization numbers since the numbers presented are for summertime only. In 2018 the summertime numbers were the only measured timeframes for the year. Trustee Bangs likes the data as presented for this purpose from a Town Board perspective. The primary missing piece of information collected in 2018 are real time parking utilization statistics. This measurement is necessary prior to moving forward to Phase II. Member Black requested this be emphasized in the presentation to the Town Board. PROJECT UPDATES (G. Muhonen): The Downtown Estes Loop (DEL) Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) met recently and discussed the potential condemnation of DEL area parcels that have not reached an agreement. At the December 11 Town Board Study Session the DEL TAC will provide their quarterly update. Central Federal Lands (CFL) pointed out a new grant program (BUILD) and suggested we submit application for funding being awarded in July 2019 to replace both the Rockwell and Riverside bridges as well as to perform channel widening from Hwy 36 south. The Town requested AECOM provide a fee proposal to complete the grant application. If awarded to the Town, this would nearly double scope of DEL project by simultaneously performing these bridge upgrades. Director Muhonen also learned that CFL does periodic calls for grant applications for the Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP). A call should be made in the spring of 2019. This will bring back the concept for the Moraine Avenue Multimodal Improvements. It was confirmed with the TAB that the same application will be submitted for Moraine Avenue. Current DEL Project Manager James Herlyck will be leaving for another CDOT department and recommended the Town reapply for this project. The Town will need strong support from the Estes Park community in order to have a chance of being awarded this grant. Muhonen recommended to the TAB that if there are strong feelings of support in the group that it be conveyed in their daily dealings. Representatives from CDOT, Larimer County and the Town of Estes Park met this week to discuss 2019 Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grants. The Larimer County members of the Upper Front Range Transportation Planning Region expressed their support of the Town's application for the full $720K in grant dollars. Muhonen stated that due to funding shortages for the US36 & Community Dr. roundabout, this grant would help bring the intersection improvements to fruition. CDOT will conduct an open house on December 5 covering information on the roundabout planned for the US 34 (Wonderview)/MacGregor Ave. intersection. The open house will take place in Rooms 202 and 203 in Estes Park Town Hall from 4:30pm- 6:30pm). Director Muhonen strongly encouraged TAB members to attend this meeting to provide feedback. Manager Hook attended a stakeholder meeting for the CDOT work on Hwy. 7. CDOT is restarting stakeholder coordination regarding road work on Hwy 7 from Lyons to Hwy 72. CDOT will be incorporating a 4' shoulder on the uphill lane to address bicycle community members' concerns. The Safe Routes to School (SRTS) grant application for Brodie Avenue improvements was approved and work is anticipated to occur in the summer of 2019. Transportation Advisory Board — November 21, 2018 — Page 4 The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant application for Fall River Trail was awarded covering future construction work from David Drive to the Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) entrance. RMNP is now working to partner with the Town to have the future trail be constructed through the Aspenglen campground for connection to the RMNP trail system. The Town is anticipating another call for grant applications from Great Outdoor Colorado. The Town will apply for this grant funding to apply to the last phase of the Fall River Trail. Director Muhonen will be drafting a position on e-scooters in Estes Park. He will bring the draft document back to the group for discussion. OTHER BUSINESS With no other business to discuss, Chair Morris adjourned the meeting at 2:09 p.m. Recording Secretary Megan Van Hoozer, Public Works Department